Respite from The Hard Work of Gardening

Gardening is not all fun and games. Tending to a garden can be downright hard work. Sure, the after-winter tidying and new planting done in spring require effort. But the put-your-back-into-it hard work, in my opinion, really comes in autumn. Autumn is when cut-backs, clean-ups, and haul-aways consume the gardener’s time. The solace for the gardener seems to lie in the fact that these efforts typically result in rewards, come spring.

Pruning a Panicle Hydrangea’s woody stems in fall means full and fluffy growth next spring and summer. (As we all have learned through reading and real-life missteps, this pruning schedule is not the right one for Hydrangeas which bloom on old wood.) Cutting back Iris leaves close to the ground in fall means less opportunity for disease and, ultimately, stronger rhizomes to do their work in preparing for spring. But in terms of places where you can and should sit back and do nothing during fall clean-up: Well, I would say it is with plants such as some of the Cranesbills, which turn their foliage into a fiery-toned display when temperatures drop. You would not want to miss that color show. And ground covers such as Ajuga… well, they just plug on and need virtually no help at all.

I consider Ajuga to be one of the most carefree plants to grow. Fall really drives this home, when I see that my Ajuga still has great color and shows no signs of degrading, even when the leaves of every Hosta in the yard have turned to tissue-thin masses which need to be raked up.

At times when this ground covering beauty is available online or on greenhouse tables, I find it difficult to resist. Some varieties of Ajuga put on a little show before winter with their own foliage. For instance, the mass of leaves on Ajuga Fancy Finch can look like the mixing area on a painter’s palette, with amber tones mixing with light greens. There is a painterly Ajuga called Burgundy Glow which shows off foliage in some of the most peaceful tones of green, cream, and purple-wine. And then there is Ajuga Chocolate Chip, with its sweet name and deep-toned foliage.

Ajuga Chocolate Chip has recently become one of my favorites in summer when its blue flowers show against its brown-black and darkest green backdrop. The blue is long gone from my garden now, but the dark foliage remains healthy looking, as though it is promising me great blooms next summer. 

As I rake leaves from my garden beds, I am careful to avoid scarring these dark and fluffy leaves. In places where I know I have planted Ajuga, I work with my hands or reach for the leaf blower to be extra safe with my clean-up. My Ajuga Chocolate Chip happens to be near Sweet Woodruff, which has similar staying-power in the garden, with foliage that remains fluffed and fragrant with a hay-like scent. The leaf blower dances over both, sending some Maple leaves flying while leaving these ground covers unscathed.

Now, some say that when Ajuga gets overly full and fluffy, a little autumn trim-down is appreciated by the plant. Personally, I either like the full look and fail to notice that a trim is needed, or my plants have not matured to that point. I find that my Ajuga needs nothing at this time of year, as all of its spent flower spikes are now gone, and the foliage is too healthy looking to trim.

It seems that just when my back is aching from digging Tulip and Daffodil bulbs into the ground, and just when my hand is numb from gripping pruners, I come across the Sweet Woodruff and Ajuga patches in my garden and breathe a sigh of relief. These ground cover plants do so much for the garden, but they require so little from me. While the start of my fall clean-up had me trimming and tidying with zeal, I appreciate the respite these plants provide me now. No hard work here… just great things to come next spring.